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Katie & Ben Tie The Knot

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Katie (Minnick) Purnell grew up in Liberty, Missouri, and attended college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she studied magazine journalism and graphic design. After graduation, she returned to Kansas City to work as an interaction designer for Cerner Corporation. Katie and Ben reside in midtown Kansas City, where they love spending time cooking new recipes, eating chicken and waffles and sitting in rocking chairs on their front porch.

 

Ben Purnell earned a BS in health and exercise science from Truman State University. Ben works for Cerner Corporation as an analyst. Ben enjoys cooking for his wife and friends, especially breakfast! His favorite activity is to wake up in the morning, make a big breakfast, and study the Bible, which guides his life.

Katie and Ben met through a Bible study at their church, Redeemer Fellowship in midtown. “It wasn’t love at first sight,” Katie smiles. “Actually, it was quite the opposite. He was zero percent interested, and I thought he was rude. Despite our unfortunate first-impressions, we continually ran into each other. A few months after our meeting, Ben took a leap of faith and asked me to join him on a walk in the park. I was wary, but after some convincing from my mother (moms always know best), I joined him. When I arrived, he was standing in the parking lot holding peanut butter sandwiches and a thermos of hot chocolate. I was smitten!”

Ben chose Easter weekend for his proposal. “We went bike riding back at the park of our first walk; we go back there often, so it was nothing out of the ordinary,” Katie reveals. “After riding for a while, we pulled over to sit on a bench and enjoy the weather. Suddenly, Ben was on one knee and pulled out a ring. To this day, I have no idea what he said, but I do know what I said: ‘Yes!’ Lo and behold, two of our friends popped out of the bushes; they had captured the whole thing! It was surreal, and the surprises didn’t stop there. We drove back to my house to tell my parents. When we walked in, 50 of our closest friends and family were there for a surprise engagement party! It was a good thing I said yes!”

The blissful couple tied the knot on November 8, 2014. The wedding party consisted of five bridesmaids and five groomsmen. Katie included three long-time friends, her younger sister and Ben’s younger sister. Ben’s groomsmen were three college friends, his younger brother and Katie’s younger brother.

Katie and Ben planned a memorable wedding for their November nuptials. “When I was 13, I attended a wedding at the Hawthorne House,” Katie reminisces. “I left that night knowing I would get married there one day. From its chapel reminiscent of the movie A Walk to Remember, with stained glass and simple wooden pews, to the reception hall with a wrap-around porch, it was truly the venue of my dreams.

“The day was perfect. It was mid-50s and sunny, an unheard of November day. We had guests from all over the world present to celebrate with us. It was overwhelming and humbling. Plus, they didn’t have to fight any weather, truly a Godsend.”

Katie chose to wear her mother’s wedding dress, altered from its 1987 style to a modern look and fit. “From wearing my mother’s dress, to a surprise flash-mob dance with my father, to our time of worship with our guests, I can’t imagine a more meaningful day for the beginning of our marriage.”

Katie and Ben honeymooned at a fabulous resort, Iberostar Grand Bavaro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where they basked in the island’s luxuries and amenities. HLM

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